The Wonder Years
by EllieD113
Summary: 365 days in a year. But how many years are in endless wonder? Follow Artie, Pete, Myka, Claudia, and the rest of the Warehouse gang through...The Wonder Years.
1. Chubby Bunny

**Wednesday, November 11th, 2015. Leena's Bed & Breakfast – Univille, South Dakota.**

Night has fallen, warm light spilling from the windows of the Bed & Breakfast and it's deceiving, Artie thinks as he pulls into the driveway. Gravel crunching and popping under the car's tires, he almost parks behind Claudia, but remembers the ping she and Steve are about to be sent on and swings left to a stop. Letting out a sigh, he scrubs his beard before reaching for the keys. It's been a long day and he wishes returning to Leena's wasn't synonymous with stepping into pandemonium. But he knows the wish would only earn him a ferret and really, it isn't that bad because it's his family and he loves them.

Even if it pains him to admit it, sometimes.

Sure enough, as he hurries through the cold, the wind shifts and a raised voice carries from the residence. Claudia, undoubtedly. Her voice is muffled, but Artie catches the end of it as he steps inside.

"-if you swallow one every time you put another one in!"

"What is going on?" Artie tries to sound angry, he really does, but it comes out as more of an exasperated sigh than anything.

It's almost comical how fast the four "adults" freeze and look to their boss. Pete's cheeks are oddly engorged and his chin is shiny with drool – not that he seems to notice. Claudia's annoyed, but she hasn't reached pissed level yet, thankfully. In her hand is a glob of white and Artie can see marshmallows littering the ground from Steve and Myka's failed attempts to land the fluffy treats in each other's mouths.

"Again," Artie asks. "_What_ is going on?"

With an impatient sigh, Claudia explains. "We _were _playing Chubby Bunny, except this one," Pete yelps as she pokes him _hard_ in the chest, "kept cheating by swallowing the marshmallows."

"What on earth is…?" Artie begins to question, but instead opts for a shake of his head. "Never mind, we have a ping. Claudia and Steve, wheels up in three hours."

"Where're we going? Steve asks, accepting his folder. Claudia reaches for hers, but Artie jerks it out of reach, glaring at her sticky mess of a hand.

"Flagstaff, Arizona. English professor at the university started acting strange a few days ago, went off the deep end in a lecture earlier this afternoon. Now, be gone."

Claudia is up the stairs in a flash, Steve on her heels, and Artie gives his two senior agents a long look.

"Both of you, clean this up. And as punishment, you get to make dinner."

He trudges from the room and Pete mimics him as best he can with fifteen marshmallows in his mouth. "Kee di uh. Ooo et oo ay inner. Wa wa wa."

"I heard that!" 

**Thursday, November 12th, 2015. Sky Harbor Airport – Phoenix, Arizona.**

After the almost two hour drive to the airport, plus the five and a half hours on the plane, it literally takes every ounce of will in Steve to get behind the wheel of their rental SUV and start on the road to Flagstaff. The flight _was_ fun – the volume on their TV was broken, so the two 'lip read' the entirety of _Despicable Me _and _Men Who Stare at Goats_. But at almost three in the morning, Claudia can feel her attitude growing sour.

"Man, why couldn't we just stay in Phoenix for the night?" she complains, squirming in her seat. "I'm tired and uncomfortable, _you're_ tired and uncomfortable. It's like Artie wants us to die."

"Number 42 on the list," Steve quips, and he isn't joking, but it makes Claudia laugh.

"17 on mine. Wouldn't that just be great?"

The lightness in her voice fades to what can only be described as sardonic and Steve throws several quick glances at his best friend.

"What's going on, Claudster? You upset about something?"

As she fiddles with one of her many bracelets, Claudia shrugs and sighs. She's never been very good at the whole "talking about her feelings" thing.

"It's just…I, I know that I'm going to be Caretaker one day, right? So the Regents have no reason or will to kill me off. At least…I _hope_ not."

Steve furrows his brows, unable to see yet exactly what is upsetting her. "Then what's the problem? Your immortality is practically guaranteed."

His confusion is met with silence as Claudia worries her lip between her teeth. She's struggling to find the exact words to express herself and _failing_ and it's just…so frustrating.

"I'm…not afraid of my life, you know, _ending_. Like dying. I just want to _have _a life before it ends." Giving a little irksome laugh, Claudia mutters, "And I don't mean dying."

Understanding washes over Steve and he literally feels his heart ache.

"Claudia, becoming Caretaker isn't the end game. You can have the same things as everyone else," he assures.

"But what if I _can't_?" she's practically radiating with agitation at this point. "The last thing I want to be is half the Caretaker the Warehouse needs because I'm too consumed with other parts of my life. But I don't want to be half a friend…or _wife_," she whispers the final word, almost like she isn't even sure she's allowed to say it, "because I'm too consumed with the Warehouse."

Listening to the confused and scared young woman next to him, Steve tries to choose his next words carefully – not because he thinks they'll upset Claudia, but because he wants to imbue as much hope as possible in them.

"Your life," he begins, voice low, "does not stop when you become Caretaker. Literally, figuratively. If you want to get married after, or if you're already married when the time comes? Well, you'll be Claudia: a loving, attentive, albeit slightly annoying wife to a very lucky guy. If you two have kids, you'll be Claudia: a caring, doting mother who loves fiercely and protects beyond measure. And just like you are now, you'll be Claudia: hilarious friend, playful little sister, doting daughter, genius tech-whiz-music-lover-with-an-amazing-voice, and the most selfless person I know. It just so happens that alongside being all of those things, you'll also be Claudia: strong, dedicated, _kick-ass_ Caretaker of Warehouse 13."

Long gone are the days when Claudia would have tried to mask the tears dripping from her cheeks, or cracked a joke to lighten the gravity of the situation. Instead, she simply reaches for Steve's hand and gives it a strong squeeze.

"Thank you."


	2. Ookies and Bacon and Riemann, Oh My!

**Thursday, November 12th, 2015. Embassy Suites – Flagstaff, Arizona**

The ping that had brought the Warehouse agents to beautiful, wooded Flagstaff was caused by an English professor at the university, Ralph Adams. He was known for being a humble guy, warm and even tempered. However, over the past few days, he had radically changed into what several of his colleagues and students were calling an "emotionally distant genius". However, it wasn't his upward change in behavior that caused the ping. No, it was the downward spiral – the fact that one minute, the man was in the middle of his last lecture and the next, he was coloring the walls with whiteboard makers and asking various students for 'ookies'.

"According to the timeline," Steve speaks through a bite of pancake, "students say Adams started seeming _off_ about a week ago?"

He and Claudia are scarfing down a late breakfast while reviewing the case with Artie and Pete via Farnsworth and Claudia can see Pete staring plaintively at their food.

"Pete, you look like Trailer when he's begging for food at the table," Claudia jokingly insults and the older agent whines.

"It's not _my_ fault you're eating bacon."

Rolling his eyes, Artie swivels so Pete is out of frame. "Continuing. Yes, on the 4th, one student – a Rachel Bacon…not kidding on the last name – anyway. She reportedly overhead Adams talking with another professor about quantum physics, which struck her as odd because Adams was a self-professed "dim bulb" when it came to science."

"Then, on the 5th, he yelled at a Korean student _in Korean_, despite the fact that he's never studied the language before," Pete supplies as he appears over Artie's shoulder. "Seriously, guys? You have to be eating?"

This time, Artie literally _shoves_ Pete away. "Right. The next two days are a weekend, so nothing reported, then the 9th is when students in his morning classes say he was at his worst, while students in the afternoon reported him as being completely normal."

"And then, as if it couldn't get any _more_ weird…" Claudia trails off, making a motion with her hands of someone jumping off a high dive, complete with splashing sound effects.

"Precisely. No artifact is coming up in the database that could cause an increase in intelligence, a return to normal, and then a complete degeneration."

"So a new artifact?" Steve questions. "Or one we don't know about yet?"

"Whichever it is, _what_ever it is – find it. We don't need the entire university reverting to two-year-olds."

Artie cuts the connection and Claudia gives Steve a tired look before pushing her chair back and plucking her coat up.

"Let's go, Steve-O."

**The Warehouse – South Dakota Badlands**

Even though Artie ended the conversation with Steve and Claudia and had gone back to searching for information _five minutes ago_, he can still feel Pete behind him, staring. With a sigh, he turns and cocks an eyebrow at his oldest agent.

"Yes?" he inquires.

"Oh. I, uh, um…I know, you're, you know, you're probably busy, huh?" Pete stammers, fumbling his words.

"Very, so get on with it," Artie pushes. "Or I'll send you to do inventory with Myka."

"No!" Trailer whines and gives a little whuff at the unexpected shout and Pete cringes. "Sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't send me to do inventory with Myka. She's uh, actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Is this going to make me feel old or uncomfortable?"

Scrunching his nose, Pete guesses 'no' and Artie acquiesces with a wave of his hand.

"I want to ask Myka to marry me," Pete confesses. "And I have the perfect idea."

**Flagstaff Medical Center – Flagstaff, Arizona**

"So that's Professor Adams."

Huddled together as they observe the man through the window to his room, Claudia wrinkles her nose as Steve's breath tickles her ear. The 55-year-old man is cross-legged on the bed, happily scribbling away in a coloring book while Teletubbies plays on the TV in the corner.

"What did the nurse say?"

"Tests show he's got the mental capacity of an 18-month-old," Steve shares. "Nothing abnormal came up in any area – brain, blood, hormones – of course."

Straightening, Claudia strides from the window towards the vending machine down the hall where she almost stifles the urge to press as many buttons as she can at once. It earned her a candy bar once when she was nine and even thought she was old enough to know someone probably just forgot their money, it hasn't stopped her from trying it on every vending machine since then.

"What could have caused this?" Claudia asks as Steve nears. "I can't think of anything or any_one_ capable of creating an artifact with these effects."

"Well, you're the one who can sense artifacts. What do you feel?"

Eyes drifting closed, Claudia focuses on her breathing to clear her mind. She can _feel_ the Warehouse, it's energy, and tries to bridge some sort of connection. She gets the sense that there is indeed _something_ in Flagstaff, but before she can get an idea of what the artifact might be – well, it feels as though someone literally slams a door in her face. Startling out of her trance, she doesn't even realize she's falling until suddenly, Steve's arms are around her.

"Whoa, whoa. Okay. Claudia? You okay?"

Her eyes snap to his and she looks bewildered.

"What happened?" Pushing off of Steve to steady herself, Claudia presses a hand to her heart, feels it racing.

"You tell me," Steve replies gently. "Anything?"

"No," Claudia explains the feeling she had gotten, sighing. "It's like the Warehouse purposely shut me out."

"Why would it do that?"

"I don't _know_, Jinks," she snaps, running her hand through her hair.

"Whoa, hey," Steve soothes. "It's okay. We'll figure this out, alright?"

Claudia's shoulders slump for a moment, but then she straightens, gusto returned. "You're right. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

Steve offers her an easy smile. "All good. So where do you want to go first – house or campus?"

A flash of the last time they were on a college campus flits through the agents' minds and both simultaneously agree – "House."

**Ralph Adams's house – Flagstaff, Arizona**

Just a few blocks from campus sits a little gray house with a neat, albeit bare, yard. Belonging to one Ralph Adams, it's been his home since his wife had divorced him 15 years earlier. Pulling up to the curb, Steve's eyes are on the road, but Claudia's are on the house across the street.

"What're you looking at, Claude?"

She simply holds up a finger, waiting, and Steve's eyes travel up to the house as well. Sure enough, after a few seconds of the car idling, a curtain twitches in the front window.

"There we go," she murmurs. Making a mental note to visit the inquisitive neighbor before they leave, Claudia slips from the car and trails behind Steve up the walkway to the porch. Still slightly frustrated from the mental block at the hospital, she doesn't even try to sense if there is anything in or about the house. Instead, she kneels, the cold concrete sharp against her knees, and makes quick work of the lock on the front door. It swings open and she suddenly understands how Pete and Myka felt when walking into her apartment after she kidnapped Artie.

Eyes wide, Claudia makes a small circle to take it all in. Papers and notecards cover the walls, while every other available surface is littered with books. One particular piece of butcher paper catches her eye and she moves closer.

"No way," she breathes, almost without realizing it. "Holy stick shift, Batman. This is…there's no way. This is the _Riemann Hypothesis_."

"The what?" Steve asks, thumbing through a stack of books on an end table.

"The Riemann Hypothesis," Claudia explains. "It's a mathematical hypothesis that has never been proven. It looks like Adams was trying, but that's impossible."

"This is _all_ impossible, Claudia. These notes and everything? There are at least ten different languages all in _his_ handwriting, scientific equations, conjectures, theses. It's like this guy knew everything about everything."

"Nothing here screams 'artifact', though. You want to just start bagging everything?"

"Oh, Claudia, ye of little faith," Steve chuckles, shaking his head.

"What?"

With a grin, he holds up a cracked, leather bound book. "Professor's journal."

Claudia's nose wrinkles as she smiles back and the two agents make room at the dining table to pour over the pages. However, Steve cracks open the book and immediately, their faces fall.

"Oh," Claudia murmurs.

The professor apparently isn't a writer, so much as he is a "should have been a doctor with his penmanship", not to mention the fact that most entries are quick quips, such as 'great first day with students' and 'got lunch with Matt and Jen'. Then, an entry dated the first of the month catches Claudia's eye.

"Steve, look. 'FA finally arrived…can't wait to read'. FA…Fatal Attraction? No, that's a movie."

"Fear Agent?" Steve suggests.

"Maybe. Though he doesn't seem like much of a comics guy. What's the next entry?"

Steve flips to the next page, but it's frustratingly empty. "That's it. Why don't we call Myka? She's the bookworm."

Shaking her head, Claudia tells, "Pete told me Myka's doing inventory all morning and not to bother her because he wants her out of Artie's office."

"Why?"

Claudia shrugs. "Dunno. But come _on_, Jinksy. You're not doubting my capabilities as your _senior agent_, are you?"

"Oh, we're back to that again, are we?" Steve snarks with a smile. "Okay then, Señor Agent. Lead the charge."

They spend the next ten minutes combing over the various papers – at least, the ones they can _read_ – and they're not close to done when Claudia abruptly stands and marches over to the chalkboard covered in the corner. Swiftly pulling the large sheet off, she does a little jump for joy as a mass of writing and hand drawn charts are revealed, all under the largely written letters, _FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON._

**The Warehouse – South Dakota Badlands**

"Oh," Artie says softly, surprised at Pete's admission. "What's your idea?"

"Well, after I called her parents to ask for permission, her dad started asking how I was going to do it. I thought, what is one thing Myka loves most in this world?"

"Books," the two agents chorus.

"Exactly. What I want to do is get a bunch of books – her dad gave me the names of her favorite ones – and I'm going to go through and in each one, underline a quote about love or something like that."

"Okay," Artie follows. "Then what?"

"I want to do it at Leena's," Pete tells. "So. I figure, one night, if you could keep Myka here late for inventory or something, I'll go back and set it all up so that when she walks in the house, a trail of books leads her from the front door, through the house to the porch where I'll be waiting with dinner and wine and then I'll ask her to marry me."

Artie is nothing short of amazed by just how excited and happy Pete looks in that moment. If anyone told him geez, was it _six_ years ago that Pete and Myka came to the Warehouse? If anyone told him then that they would be where they are now, he would have called them crazy.

"So what do you think?" Pete asks, his demeanor suddenly shifting towards anxious.

"I think…" Artie draws his sentence out, playing Pete a little bit, and he can see concern growing in his eyes, "…she'll love it."

"Who'll love what?" Myka questions, strolling into the office.

"Oh, Claudia," Pete replies breezily. "I was thinking about getting her tickets to see a band playing in Rapid City. You know, early Christmas present."

With that slow, gorgeous smile Pete loves so much, Myka compliments, "That's really sweet of you, Pete. I'm sure she will love it. Anyways, what do you guys want for lunch? I was thinking Arby's."

"Ooh, yes!" Pete exclaims. "Artie?"

"Yeah, you know what, why don't you just bring me back something?"

"Okay," Myka nods. "We'll be back."

Pete's already halfway down the umbilicus, but Myka can hear him wondering aloud where he put his coupon for a free curly fry and she laughs to herself.

She loves him, without a doubt.

**Northern Arizona University – Flagstaff, Arizona**

Now they know. It's the first edition of Flowers for Algernon, a book about a mentally disabled man who becomes the poster child of a science experiment to increase intelligence and soars to incredible mental heights before degenerating to an even worse capacity than when he first began.

What they don't know? Where the book is.

"It's definitely not here," Steve sighs as he and Claudia come to the end of their detailed search of the house. "Professor's office, maybe?"

Claudia nods. "Yeah. You want to walk? When we come back for the car, we can go talk to Mrs. Nosy Neighbor over there."

"How do you know it's a woman?" Steve laughs, tossing Claude her coat from where she'd shed it on the couch.

"Oh, please. It's probably a little old lady, retired, who has nothing better to do than to spy on her neighbors like it's one of her shows."

Cocking an eyebrow, Steve replies, "Bet it's not. Bet you it's a man."

"Bet." Shrugging on her coat, Claudia shakes Steve's hands and remembers to lock the door before swinging it shut behind her. It's not a long walk and the air is crisp, refreshing. NAU's campus is nothing like the last campus, sprawling underneath the beautiful clear blue sky and picturesque mountain topped with snow. Claudia's never been a college person, but she could almost – _almost_ – see herself going there.

Adams's office is in building 18 – not the easiest building to find – and the door is closed. Thinking it's empty, Claudia reaches for the knob and turns the handle, only to step in and find three people staring back at her. A blonde boy is lounging in a chair across from the professor's desk, on which is leaning a tall, muscular man with an impressive beard and piercing blue eyes. Next to him is a smartly dressed woman who looks to be about Myka's age and it is she who opens her mouth to speak.

"Can I help you?"


	3. Adrian Price

Claudia can only stare for a moment, slightly startled, until a nudge from Steve helps her find her voice.

"Yeah…uh, yes. We're here about Professor Adams."

"Sam," the woman says, and Claudia thinks maybe it's the bearded guy until the blonde boy heaves a sigh and pushes past her on the way out.

"Are you his TA?" Steve asks the woman and she gives a little laugh, shaking her head.

"No, no." She signs as she speaks. "That would be Adrian, here."

Giving the two agents a courteous smile, Adrian signs and for some reason, it's really only right then that it hits them that he's deaf.

"He says it's nice to meet you. I'm Sara, by the way."

**Nice to meet you**, Claudia knows the sign, and Adrian's entire face lights up. He replies, and Claudia catches "ASL", but the rest is lost.

"**You know ASL**?" Sara signs/speaks.

"No," Claudia shakes her head. "Only that."

Adrian signs something else and Sara laughs.

"What?" Steve asks.

"**He says he's impressed**," Sara shares and dammit if Claudia doesn't blush. Adrian hasn't taken his eyes off of her since the door opened and she doesn't quite know how to feel about it.

"Anyway," Claudia clears her throat. "We're here about a book. Do you know anything about a first edition Flowers for Algernon?"

Adrian glances to Sara, who quickly signs something before he signs back.

"**Adrian says he would like to speak to you in private**," Sara rolls her eyes and Adrian gives her a shove. "**I'll be down the hall if you need me**."

As she slips out the door, Claudia throws Steve a look and he shrugs, then points to Adrian. Turning back, Claudia's eyes fall to the iPhone he is holding out to her.

_Does this have to do with Ralph going…crazy?_

Claudia's thumbs tap out a reply and Steve swears he can feel the lie rolling off her.

_No. We believe the man he bought it from stole it._

As she gives the phone back to Adrian, their hands brush and Claudia's heart gives a little jump. Okay, she definitely likes this guy.

_Federal agents busting up a book stealing ring?_

_A RARE book stealing ring, Mr. Snark._

Her response earns an actual laugh from Adrian, but he quickly claps his hand over his mouth, embarrassed. He bites his cheek to keep from laughing again, unable to help the smile that plays at his lips.

_Alright, I'll bite. I haven't seen it, since he showed it to me the Monday after he got it._

Reading that, Claudia sighs.

_Do you mind if we take a look around?_

Making a sweeping gesture with his hand, Adrian moves to sit as Claudia and Steve pull on their patented purple gloves.

With a snap of his glove, Steve looks to Claudia, mock seriousness in his eyes. "Let's do this."

Except that the search of the office turns up _nothing_ yet again and Claudia kind of wants to kick something, except Adrian's there and she'd rather not look crazy in front of him. Instead, she points to his phone.

_Is there anywhere else he has besides his office and his home that he would put something valuable like that?_

Stopping to think for a second, Adrian types out, _He mentioned once that he had a safety deposit box at his bank. I don't know where he banks, but I'm sure you guys do._

Claudia quirks an eyebrow at him, grinning.

_Yeah, we do. Thanks for your help, Adrian._

_You're welcome._

Claudia gives him a little wave, turning to Steve, when suddenly, she feels Adrian's fingers close around her wrist. She tries not to notice the warmth of his skin, or how calloused it feels and turns slowly. Looking at him expectantly, he holds up a finger, signaling her to wait.

_Can I have your number? You know, just in case I think of anything else._

She might look completely calm on the outside, but inside, Claudia's heart is doing leaps of joy. Which is stupid, because he probably does just want her number for actual reasons – not because he likes her or anything.

But she gives it to him and he smiles at her before bringing his right hand up, fingers to chin, and out towards her. He mouths 'thank you' and Claudia shrugs, another stupid blush flaming her cheeks. Turning on her heel, she grabs Steve and hauls out of there.

"Somebody's got a crush!" Steve sing songs, hurrying to keep up with Claudia.

"Do not."

"Did you forget the part where I can tell that you're lying?"

Rolling her eyes, Claudia pushes against the door to the outside and gasps, stopping short. The temperature has dropped by at least 10 degrees and thick clouds are rolling in from a distance.

"Looks like snow," Steve comments.

"Astute observation, Watson. What say you we hurry to the bank before the storm hits?"

"You still want to talk to the neighbor?"

Claudia shakes her head. "Don't think I'm forgetting about our bet, either. We can talk to her tomorrow."

"I hope he's home," Steve retorts wickedly.

**Embassy Inn and Suites – Flagstaff, Arizona.**

Literally moments after stepping into the lobby, all hell breaks loose outside. Steve's halfway to the elevator before he realizes that Claudia is feet behind him, eyes fixed on the winter in all of its fury, and he wonders what has her so transfixed.

"Claude?" he asks, sidling toward her.

"Yeah?" Breaking her gaze away, she looks to her best friend, expectant.

"What're you thinking?"

"Not thinking." She's being honest – it's simply the fact that she finds it beautiful.

And so, Steve just waits for her. He doesn't know how much time passes as they stand there, but he knows that his best friend, his BFFEWYLION deserves moments like this in her life. He's no Pete, with his vibes and such, but Steve just can't shake the feeling that Adrian isn't going to fade from their lives like the snow eventually will fade from the town.

Finally tearing herself away, Claudia makes for the elevator, a bounce in her step and she jabs the button gleefully.

"You know what I'm thinking?"

"Coffee, a movie, and snuggling?" Steve guesses.

"Oh, yeah."

The pair high five in tandem to the elevator ding and Steve darts in between the doors, pressing their floor before Claudia can. She rewards him by sticking out her tongue, but two can play at that game, so she gets the face in return.

A mid-second later, Claudia's Farnsworth begins to sound off and, dropping her face, she slides it from her back pocket.

"Hey Artie."

"Tell me you've made progress."

"Geez, didn't Emily Post teach you _anything_?" Claudia retorts.

"Yeah, yeah, hi," Artie grumbles. "Now go."

"Okay, I'll hurry before you forget why you called."

Steve gives Claudia a thumbs up at that, then reaches for the Farnsworth as she moves to dig for their room key.

"We figured out the artifact – it's a first edition of the book Flowers for Algernon. Adams got it on the 1st."

"Any idea where it is?"

"No," Claudia sighs. The Farnsworth gets traded off again and she falls back onto the bed with it. "We searched his entire house, his office, and paid a visit to his safety deposit box."

"And what? You're back at the hotel?"

Rolling her eyes, Claudia flips herself over and marches to the window before holding the Farnsworth up to it.

"Alright," Artie acquiesces. "Just hurry with this one, okay? I need you back by tonight."

"Why?"

"Can't tell you. Gotta go."

"Well, then." Claudia snaps the Farnsworth shut and drops it on the table before taking a running jump on to the bed with an _oof_.

"Jinsky," she whines to the man as he's trying to pee in peace. "Hurry up."

"Trying, Claudia," comes his reply. "Now stop talking to me. It's weird."

Rolling her eyes playfully – not that Steve can see – Claudia grabs the TV remote off the dresser and starts flipping through the channels, trying to find something to watch. Suddenly, it hits her. Something seems off. Closing her eyes, she runs through the events of the past day – the agents getting sent home early from the Warehouse, Artie coming back nearly two hours late. Come to think of it, she and Pete got sent home early just two weeks before on the 26th and getting sent home early twice in two weeks almost _never_ happens. So Artie comes home late and then immediately, she and Steve get sent on the ping. Artie _never_ likes them flying at night, yet he barely made a fuss. And sending them right away, without any sort of chance to discuss the artifact that might be in play? Or letting Steve and Claudia do some research themselves?

Scooting to the end of the bed, Claudia reaches for her bag and pulls out her portable ping device on a hunch. Sure enough, when she tries to access the Warehouse database, she's blocked.

"I smell a rat," she murmurs.

Stalking over to the Farnsworth, she connects to Artie's, and the older man picks up almost immediately.

"Yes, Claudia?"

"Why did you send Steve and me on this ping?"

"Because Pete and Myka went on the last one?"

"Really? Then why am I blocked from the database? Why have you not been asking as many of your usual questions and why – even though Steve and I have failed to raise the observation ourselves – have you not questioned the fact that Ralph Adams is seemingly the only person who has been affected by the book even though he bought it online and had it sent US Mail to his house?"

His face growing increasingly troubled as Claudia goes on, Artie sighs. "Look, Claudia. I'm not even supposed to be telling you this, but Ralph Adams did _not_ just buy that book by accident, nor did he buy it from a random person. He "bought" it from me after I pulled it from the Warehouse shelves."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"I can't tell you. Just that the artifact would cause him to lose all mental capabilities – which it _did_ – and that, by the ping drawing you to Flagstaff, something would happen. So just, find the book and whatever is supposed to happen, happens, okay?"

Trying to hold onto her tough, irritated demeanor, Claudia asks, "And nobody is going to get hurt?"

"Hurt? What? Claudia, no." Artie's voice softens. "Do you think I would send you into a situation _knowing_ that it would bring you harm? No. You and Steve are perfectly safe, okay?"

Nodding, Claudia replies, "Okay."

"Do you trust me?"

Artie's never asked her that before and, for some reason, it hits her hard.

"Yeah," she nods, fighting back tears. "I trust you."

"Okay. Then leave this, go watch movies with Steve, and once the storm lets up, get back on it."

"Alright, boss man."

Snapping the Farnsworth shut, Claudia turns to find Steve watching her, eyebrow raised.

"Everything okay?" he implores, and Claudia nods.

"Peachy. Now. How does Elf sound?"

With a groan, Steve shuffles to the bed and flops down dramatically. "But Claudia," he whines. "It's _November._"

"All the better."

Pulling her laptop and HDMI cord from her computer bag, Claudia does a little dance when the Netflix screen pops up on the TV. As she starts up the movie, Steve shifts to settle against the headboard and seconds later, Claudia is curled against his side, head tucked against his shoulder.

"What did Artie want?" Steve asks quietly as the tale of Buddy the elf begins.

"Shhh," Claudia responds, bringing her hand to cover his mouth. "I am watching the greatest Christmas movie of all time."

Steve rolls his eyes at such a title being given to a silly, albeit good, little story, but silences.

His arms around his best friend, Steve feels Claudia's breathing slow as her body relaxes. He knows Claudia is like a small child, always fighting sleep – _especially _when something good is happening like one of her favorite movies – so he brings his hand to her hair, caressing gently.

"I know what you're doing," Claudia slowly warns him, "and it's not going to work."

Chuckling, Steve glances down and sure enough, Claudia's eyes are glazed over, mouth slightly slack.

"Not tired," she murmurs, eyes unblinking. But Steve bets she'll be asleep in less than five minutes.

He doesn't even realize he fell asleep himself until he's jerking awake at some sound in the movie.

"Have a nice nap?" Claudia quips, in the same slow tone as before. She's holding on – not really tired, just in a sort of lull. She vaguely notices she's running her index finger around the perimeter of her thumbnail, something she's always done when tired or content.

"How long was I out?" Steve asks back and she shrugs.

"Movie's almost over."

Sure enough, Buddy is cajoling Zooey Deschanel's character and dozens of other New Yorkers into song to get Santa back into the air. So about an hour and a half. Not bad, except his back aches where his vertebra are pressing into the headboard and he must have been breathing through his mouth because it's dry and his throat is scratchy.

Pulling his arm from around Claudia's shoulders, Steve shifts off the bed and shuffles to the coffee pot. It's not going to taste well, they both know it, but ick caffeine is better than no caffeine, so Steve makes it as strong as he can. He has no idea how Claudia can down the stuff black – it takes at least three vanilla creamers and two packets of sugar plus a dash of half and half before Steve even begins to consider it decent. As the dark liquid drizzles into its pot, Steve stretches and bones crack, feeling good.

"Not even Artie snap-crackle-and-pops that much," Claudia teases. Throwing open the heavy curtains and blinds, she is pleased to see snow is still falling, though not as heavily. A few brave souls are out and about, trudging through the soft piles, and then Claudia's heart leaps. Making way from the direction of the university is none other than Adrian. He's bundled up, but Claudia can tell it's him.

"Steve," she draws his attention. "We have a visitor."

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! If you've been reading since I posted the first chapter, I made a _lot_ of edits, including the tense, so go back and check out the first two chapters! Just for clarification, any bold text within quotations, such as when Sara was speaking, is when someone is speaking and signing at the same time. As always, please review and any constructive criticism is always welcomed!


	4. Better for the Whole

Nearing the hotel lobby doors, Adrian is kind of surprised to see Claudia and the other agent – what was his name again? – waiting for him. He knows something else is going on with the book, which he _found_ (in a secret compartment of the desk in Ralph's classroom) but what on earth it could possibly be, he doesn't know. So he asked Sara to find the agents' hotel and set out to deliver it.

He steps into the warmth of the hotel and gives the agents a little wave. Man oh man, is Claudia absolutely _beautiful_. Unfortunately, Adrian surmises, she has to be older than she looks and there's no way an older woman with a successful career would go for a boy of just 22.

With a smile, Adrian holds up one finger, and then reaches into his bag. As he holds the book out to her, he hopes to see her gorgeous smile, but instead, he furrows his brow as she looks horrified. The book is snatched from his hand and dumped into a bag which, very oddly, emits _sparks_ and then Steve is pulling Claudia away and she's signing **thank you** as the elevator doors close.

Confused, Adrian stares wistfully in the direction of their exit for a moment, but allows himself to admit it's probably the last he's seen of the redhead. Adjusting the wrap around his neck and beard, Adrian pockets his hands and shoulders the door open into the biting cold. He ought to go see Ralph, see if his condition has improved any, Adrian decides, setting off towards the hospital. He's not a relative, but as soon as any nurse or doctor figures out he's deaf, they just usher him right along. Deafness perks aren't something Adrian usually takes advantage of, but he's willing to make an exception.

A peek through the window to the professor's room and Adrian sighs. The man is lying on his stomach, making cars _vroom_ around the scratchy hospital bedding, occasionally turning his attention toward the TV. Twisting the door knob, Adrian can't help but smile, though, as Ralph's entire face lights up and he shouts what sounds like an attempt at Adrian's name.

**Embassy Inn and Suites – Flagstaff, Arizona**

Having left the room empty, Steve and Claudia certainly aren't expecting anyone to be there as they return, so upon seeing Mrs. Frederic at the small table, both agents nearly jump out their skin.

"Hello, Steve, Claudia," she greets.

"Geez, Mrs. F," Claudia replies, hand over her heart. "Thanks for the heart attack."

Lips quirking at a smile, Mrs. Frederic gestures toward the bed. "Please, sit."

Glancing at each other, Steve reads the question in Claudia's eyes and shrugs.

"Mr. Price found the book, I see," Mrs. Frederic holds out her hand for the bag and Steve meets her halfway.

"Yes, but it's bagged now, so he'll be okay and Professor Adams will be back to normal…right?" For some reason, however, Claudia feels as though she isn't right.

"Agent Donovan, did you ever consider the reasons why Agent Nielsen so strongly reacted when you used to touch items in the Warehouse?"

"Yeah, because they have effects and let's not forget about the time where I almost collapsed the entire Warehouse," Claudia says dryly.

"Trust me, we won't," Mrs. Frederic replies, not unkindly. "Yes, it is true that all artifacts have effects when touched. You both know how that is resolved. However, there are a select few artifacts in this world that, upon their creation, were imbued so strongly with their _powers_, if you will, that their effect cannot be broken. Even after being 'bagged'."

"And this book is one of them," Steve guesses slowly.

Nodding, Mrs. Frederic stands and crosses to the window, silent for a moment. "Ralph Adams will, most unfortunately, remain in his child-like state for the rest of his life."

It takes a moment for Claudia to register her words, then, "Unfortunately?!" she exclaims angrily, pushing off the bed to stand. "_Unfortunately_? There is nothing unfortunate about this. You and Artie send Adams that book on purpose! And for what? So that he and Adrian can be 18 months old together until the day they die?"

"Agent Donovan, please sit down."

"No! I will not sit down. How could you do this to Professor Adams? To _Adrian_?! He has his whole life ahead of him. I-" Although her outburst is justified, Claudia feels herself spiraling and clamps her mouth shut with a shake of her head. "I – I'm sorry. I just need a minute."

As the door swings shut behind her, Steve looks to Mrs. Frederic and she's…smiling?

"Mrs. Frederic?"

"She's getting better," the older woman tells. "Better at realizing when she's getting too emotional."

"Too emotional?"

Nodding, Mrs. Frederic explains, "As Caretaker, I have to take into account the greater good. What is better for the whole may not be better for the one. Sometimes that means the one faces a gross injustice. You know this."

Steve nods. He does. He was the one, once, and he _died_. Ralph Adams may forever be a child, but at least he's still alive, right?

"If Claudia is going to be Caretaker," Mrs. Frederic continues, "she is going to have to learn to make decisions, see all sides without letting her emotions get the best of her."

"What are the sides here?" Steve implored.

"Claudia can explain that to you. I'll see you back at the Warehouse, Agent Jinks."

**The pool room**

Claudia's staring at her reflection in the clear blue water of the pool when she feels a presence behind her.

"I apologize for losing my temper," she says quietly. A hand comes to rest on her shoulder and she turns to look at Mrs. Frederic, surprised. She can't recall ever being touched by the woman.

"Come sit," the Caretaker says softly.

The plastic chairs aren't the most comfortable, but they'll do, and Claudia sits back, expectant.

"Agent Jinks can tell when someone is lying. Agent Lattimer has vibes, as you would call them. You can sense artifacts. Different agents have different abilities. Some are exceedingly special, and some are normal, albeit heightened. But do you know how these abilities come to be?" Seeing the young agent shake her head, Mrs. Frederic continues.

"Agent Lattimer got his first vibe the day his father perished in a fire. Agent Jinks received his ability the day his father said he was coming right back from the store."

"And the first time I sensed an artifact, it was the one that killed my parents. So something bad has to happen?" Claudia questions.

"Not necessarily bad. Simply…life changing. However, some abilities only come to be after one is exposed to an artifact or comes in contact with someone who has been exposed to a very strong one."

"And this entire thing was to expose an ability in someone? Who?"

Fixing Claudia with a look that could only be described as 'really?', Mrs. Frederic watches as realization dawns on the redhead.

"Adrian?"

"Yes. Mr. Price. The Regents have been led to believe that he possesses an extraordinary gift. One that could, very unfortunately, only be brought about through Professor Adams' exposure to the artifact."

"I don't understand," Claudia confesses. "How can Adrian have this 'extraordinary gift' if he is left with the mentality of a two-year-old?"

"It is because the Regents believe Mr. Price's gift is one that has been seen only once before, during the time of Warehouse 4. Immunity to all artifacts."

Claudia's jaw literally drops. "W-what?"

"Yes. We will know in a few days, if Adrian remains as he is now, that the belief is indeed true."

"Then what?"

"Then Mr. Price will be made fully aware of Warehouse 13, his abilities, and the role he is expected to take on as an agent."

"How can he be an agent if-" Claudia stops short, so Mrs. Frederic finishes her question.

"If he is deaf? Agent Donovan, many Warehouse agents have been differently abled. Some have been blind, others, crippled. The agent I spoke of from Warehouse 4 had Asperger's – although it was called by a very different name in that day and age. The Regents have no reason to doubt Mr. Price's ability to serve as an agent of the Warehouse and while, yes, his role will be slightly different due to his lack of hearing, he will still serve a valuable role."

Looking to her lap, Claudia takes a moment, processing it all. She understands why Ralph Adams had to go through what he did, why the Regents declared sacrificing him necessary to unearth Adrian's ability. It doesn't mean she's okay with it, but she understands.

"Okay," she murmurs, nodding, before lifting her head to meet Mrs. Frederic's eyes. "Okay."

Except that, when she looks up, Mrs. Frederic is gone.

"Right."

Pushing up from her chair, Claudia slowly crosses to the door, her footsteps echoing across the empty room.

**The room**

Packing doesn't take long – they've been there for less than day – and as Steve gathers their toothbrushes, Claudia's makeup, he wonders how many people before him have gone through the same actions and how many will after.

A knock at the door interrupts his thoughts and he wonders who it could be before recalling that Claudia left without a key. Pulling open the door with a question on his lips, it dies as Steve takes in a soaking wet Claudia and raises an eyebrow.

"Couldn't resist," Claudia shrugs. Her shoes squelch with every step and, glancing into the hallway, Steve can see her meandering path from the elevator, dark on the carpet.

"I'm going to shower," Claudia informs him, "and you and I are going to have a talk in which none of the words 'I', 'told', 'you', or 'so' will be used. Kay?"

They've had shower talks before, and so Steve waits as his best friend disappears into the bathroom and he hears the water thunder from the tap before a squeak and a hiss tells him she's turned the shower on. Thirty seconds later on the nose and – "You can come in now."

Claudia likes her showers hot enough to turn her redder than a lobster, so it's already balmy in the small room. Leaving the door cracked for ventilation, Steve hoists himself onto the counter top, back resting against the mirror. He can kind of see Claudia through the white curtain and makes a mental note to never, ever let Pete into the bathroom when they go on a ping.

As he sits, butt growing numb, Claudia explains everything and more. Why Artie sent the book to Professor Adams, why she believes the Warehouse shut her out when she first tried to get a feel for the artifact ("I think if I had figured out that this was done on purpose _before_ Artie told me, I would've been too angry for it to do any good."). Steve gets an understanding of why she got so upset when Mrs. Frederic explained that Professor Adams had to be sacrificed – she worries if a time will ever come where a difficult sacrifice will have to be made by someone on her team – and she opens up a little about her feelings towards Adrian.

"I do find him attractive," Claudia admits, wrapping a towel around her before stepping out of the shower. "Not just his looks, but what I've seen of his personality, too. And obviously, he's going to be a Warehouse agent, so he's going to be living with us and spending a lot of his free time with us."

"So what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried that I'm overthinking things. We barely even know each other and already, I'm thinking, 'What if I like him, but he doesn't like me? And if he _does_ end up liking me, what if it's only because we're in close quarters, seeing each other constantly, Flowers in the Attic type deal?'"

Steve chuckles and Claudia shoots him a fierce glare. "Don't make fun, poopy pants."

"I'm not, honest," he holds up his hands in surrender. "Just relax, Claudia. He's going to be a Warehouse agent and your friend. Focus on that for right now – being his friend. And if it turns into something more, then so be it."

"I just –" Claudia hates when she can't find her words. "I've been thinking more and more about the future. Getting married, having kids. You know this."

Steve nods, remembering their conversation in the car. Geez, was that really just early that morning?

"But I've never had a serious relationship before. I mean, there was Todd, but that was a whole lot of teenage lust."

"Ew."

"Ew yourself." Sighing, Claudia tells, "I'm…afraid of messing things up."

"Claude," Steve slides off the counter, hands coming to rest on her shoulders. "Don't worry about messing up. If, no _when_, you mess up, you've got all sorts of people here to love you and support you and give you advice."

"So Myka?"

"Yup. Myka."

With a laugh, Claudia pushes against Steve's shoulder. "Thank you, poopy pants. Now, get out! I have to get dressed and we have a plane to catch!"


End file.
